PT-76

PT-76
A PT-76 at the Verkhnyaya Pyshma Tank Museum, 2012
TypeAmphibious light tank
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1951–present
Production history
DesignerN. Shashmurin and Zh.Y. Kotin
Designed1949–1951
ManufacturerVTZ, Kirov Factory
Produced1951–1969 (chassis maybe still produced)
No. builtAround 12,000[1] . (Other sources indicate 5000 were built. See footnote 3).
Specifications (PT-76 model 1)
Mass14.6 t (16.1 short tons; 14.4 long tons)
Length7.63 m (25 ft) (gun forward)
6.91 m (22 ft 8 in) (hull)
Width3.15 m (10 ft 4 in)
Height2.325 m (7 ft 7.5 in)
Crew3 (driver, commander/gunner, loader)

ArmourRHAe
Main
armament
76.2 mm D-56T rifled tank gun (40 rds.)
Secondary
armament
7.62 mm SGMT coax machine gun (1,000 rds.) or
7.62 mm PKT machine gun coax machine gun (1,000 rds) since 1967
Engine19.1L 6 cylinder inline diesel
180 kilowatts (240 hp)
Power/weight12.3 kW/t
Suspensiontorsion-bar
Ground clearance370 mm (14.6 in)
Fuel capacity250 L (55 imp gal; 66 US gal)
Operational
range
370–400 km (230–250 mi)
480–510 km (300–320 mi) with external fuel
Maximum speed 44 km/h (27 mph) on road, 10.2 km/h (6.3 mph) swimming

The PT-76 is a Soviet amphibious light tank that was introduced in the early 1950s and soon became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army and the other Warsaw Pact armed forces. It was widely exported to other friendly states, like India, Indonesia, Iraq, Syria, North Korea and North Vietnam.

The tank's full name is Floating Tank–76 (плавающий танк, plavayushchiy tank, or ПТ-76). 76 stands for the caliber of the main armament: the 76.2 mm D-56T series rifled tank gun.

The PT-76 is used in the reconnaissance and fire-support roles. Its chassis served as the basis for a number of other vehicle designs, many of them amphibious, including the BTR-50 armored personnel carrier, the ZSU-23-4 self-propelled antiaircraft gun, the ASU-85 airborne self-propelled gun and the 2K12 Kub anti-aircraft missile launch vehicle.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Enemy Forces was invoked but never defined (see the help page).